The excitement of starting a new job can be overwhelming for a new employee, and especially for someone new to the workforce. Creating a checklist for new employees helps standardize the new hire process to ensure each employee starts from the same beginning point. Every member of the human resources department has a vital role in processing new hires.

Preliminary Steps And Documentation

Provide the new employee with essential work documents during the first day of work. These documents should include proof of eligibility to work, confidentiality agreements, and any other disclosures and agreements to which the employee must agree in order to be an employee with your company. The employee must also complete the federal tax withholding forms; Texas does not have a state income tax, nor does Houston have a city income tax.

Explanation of Benefits

Explain the company benefit package to the new employee. Typically, a benefits representative will spend a good amount of time with the new hire to explain benefits, such as health care, dental, vision and long-term insurance. In addition, your benefits representative should be knowledgeable about other benefits, including income protection plans, such as 401k, pension and profit sharing programs. Offer assistance to the new employee in making health care plan selections and completing paperwork.

New Hire Orientation

Confirm the employee’s schedule for new hire orientation. Companies that hire several new employees at one time generally have orientation classes. The advantage to this is new employees from different departments have an opportunity to meet each other. New employees may even form a bond with each other when they share the same hire date. Answer any questions the employee has about orientation, work hours, uniforms, and other working conditions. A comprehensive orientation program will address all of these matters; however, some employees may be reluctant to ask certain questions in a group setting.

Introductions

Introduce the new employee to her peers if she is in a leadership position. Managers who come on board welcome the chance to meet their counterparts with whom they have similar responsibilities and qualifications. A “round-robin” approach for introducing managers to one another is an ideal way to facilitate these meetings. For non-management employees, the new hire's manager will introduce her to employees in the department. Small employers will sometimes have a welcome lunch so everyone can get a chance to welcome the the new employee.

Follow Up

Visit the new employee after a couple of weeks to check her progress, address any issues she has as a new member of the team, and follow up on any concerns she might have had upon beginning employment.

About the Author

Ruth Mayhew began writing in 1985. Her work appears in "The Multi-Generational Workforce in the Health Care Industry" and "Human Resources Managers Appraisal Schemes." Mayhew earned senior professional human resources certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute and holds a Master of Arts in sociology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.